Older Bicyclists at Higher Risk of Injuries, Fatalities

Older bicyclists, especially those above the age of 50, may be at a much higher risk of suffering serious or fatal injuries in accidents.

Older bicyclists, especially those above the age of 50, may be at a much higher risk of suffering serious or fatal injuries in accidents. That is confirmed not just by number of studies, but also by data presented by the federal administration.

In 2011, according to data by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, bicyclists between the age of 45 and 54 had some of the highest accident fatality numbers. In this category, 130 bicyclists were killed in bicycle accidents in 2011. The risk of being injured in accidents or killed in accidents was very high in the 55 to 64 age category, and in this group, 98 bicyclists were killed in accidents in 2011. In the 65 to 70 category, 50 persons died in bicycle accidents in the same year.

In fact, bicycle accident fatality numbers seemed to increase with the age of the bicyclists involved. For instance, according to the data in 2011, 27 of those who were killed were between 10 and 15 years of age. 44 bicycle accident fatalities were between 16 and 20 years of age, 42 fatalities were in the 21 to 24 age category, and 59 fatalities were in the 25 to 34 age category. 72 fatalities belonged to the 35 to 44 age category.

Older bicyclists may not be more likely to be involved in an accident, but could be at a higher risk of suffering fatal injuries in an accident. That is because of age-related physical changes that may make these persons more vulnerable to injuries in an accident. For instance, the same kind of injuries may affect a 25-year-old bicyclist differently from a 75 or 80-year-old bicyclist. In the latter case, the injuries could even be fatal or have long-term consequences.

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